Using games to review
Games are a fun way to teach and review important skills. One skill that children need to learn is how to recognize combinations that make 10. It is important to first learn these combinations using concrete items such as counters, blocks, beans, etc. while using a ten-frame. After your child has used concrete items, a game can be used to continue to teach and review making 10. Many kindergarteners need more than a week to transition from using concrete items to visualizing groups. During this learning time, provide physical counters and a ten-frame to find the correct combination. With lots of practice, he will know the combinations of 10 without counting!
Make 10 Go Fish
This game is like the classic Go Fish game, but players need to find cards that equal 10. Shuffle two sets of Number Cards (0-10) together. Deal 5 cards to yourself and 5 cards to your child. The rest of the cards need to be spread on the table face down and will be the fishpond. The first player chooses one card in his/her hand and asks for the card that would make ten with the chosen card. For example, if your child chose 2, he/she would ask you for 8.
If the other player has the card, he/she will give it to the other player. If the player doesn’t have it, he/she says, “Go fish!” and a card is taken from the fishpond. When a match is found, it is put to the side. Play until all cards are matched. Whoever has the most pairs at the end wins.
When your child is unsure of which card to ask for, prompt the child to model the number using counters and a ten-frame to help him/her figure out which card to request.
Added difficulty
To add difficulty and to practice another skill, one set of cards can be numbers, and other cards can be dots to practice your child’s subitizing skills.
Click the download button below to get the Make 10 Go Fish Game.
